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Brisbane's 'kwickie' fancied by Microsoft's Accelerator Program

With the huge surge in popularity for apps such as Snapchat and Facebook Live, it's little wonder that the next swathe of innovators is looking at video streaming as the way to spread new ideas.

Based in Brisbane and with offices in the US and UK, social content-generation platform, kwickie, is having great success in this space and is the first Australian startup to be accepted into Microsoft UK’s Accelerator Program. The Microsoft Accelerator is a global initiative built to empower entrepreneurs around the world on their journey to build great companies.

kwickie was initially selected from hundreds of later-stage startups to formally pitch to Microsoft in London on the 1st of February 2017. The platform, a smartphone app on a quest to change the way the world communicates via asynchronous video messaging, impressed and was one of only eight to be granted entry into the Accelerator Program.

Jacob Gough, founder and CEO of kwickie, says his company’s platform demonstrated a clear vision of how video content will be created and used by both individuals and corporations in the future. “The future is video, its rise in popularity as the preferred medium on the major social media networks is obvious. We’ve built kwickie as a platform to create unique video content from video conversations between users. kwickie is where two video moments become one.” He said from London.

The partnership with Microsoft will help open doors to world-class expertise, knowledge, and networks. “Having Microsoft on our side is an obvious win. We’re growing rapidly with our Australian, US and UK teams and this announcement will only further fuel our growth plans” says Gough.

Some of the most recent growth for kwickie has been via the kwickie TV initiative built in the LA office. “kwickie TV aims to disrupt the old and expensive way of creating and distributing content on TV. It’s this kind of thinking and action that’s impressed Microsoft,” notes Gough. “kwickie TV is made on mobile for mobile and doesn’t rely on the old-fashioned distribution networks that TV content is bound to. Our first shows have already gone live covering the NBA, Big Bash League cricket and travel and sponsors have started to jump on.”

kwickie recently made international headlines when former England cricket captain Kevin Pietersen used the platform to respond to negative comments raised about his performance in the Australian Big Bash League. Other celebrity profiles already using the app include a host of international and Australian sports and entertainment stars.

The Microsoft Accelerator program is set to commence shortly in London and runs for between four and six months.